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'Doing' at Barung - Barung Landcare

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IGA CONNECTION Upd<strong>at</strong>e<br />

by Mim Coulstock<br />

Thank you to everyone who has already<br />

don<strong>at</strong>ed money for trees for the IGA<br />

Connection Treeplant. We have now raised<br />

$3480 from community don<strong>at</strong>ions, and this<br />

is just the beginning!<br />

The initial don<strong>at</strong>ion forms distributed<br />

through the <strong>Barung</strong> Newsletter gener<strong>at</strong>ed<br />

a gre<strong>at</strong> response from <strong>Barung</strong> members as<br />

well as several requests from other groups<br />

and organis<strong>at</strong>ions such as the River School,<br />

the Maleny Community Centre etc for<br />

forms to distribute to their own members.<br />

In October letters were sent to all<br />

community organis<strong>at</strong>ions who have<br />

benefited from Rob and Sam and the IGA’s<br />

generosity, and feedback from this has also<br />

been good.<br />

During the Universal Providers 100 Year<br />

celebr<strong>at</strong>ion we set up camp on Maple<br />

Street and talked to hundreds of local<br />

people about the project. Many don<strong>at</strong>ed<br />

BARUNG<br />

LANDCARE<br />

NEWS<br />

December 2005 –January 2006<br />

on the spot and many others took forms<br />

home with them.<br />

If you have not already responded, please<br />

make sure you send, bring or phone in your<br />

don<strong>at</strong>ions, and encourage your friends to<br />

do the same.<br />

Many people have asked when the<br />

community treeplant for this project will<br />

occur. Like most on-ground projects, the<br />

devil is in the detail. At this stage we are<br />

hoping to be ready for planting by<br />

September-October 2006.<br />

We will keep the fund-raising open and are<br />

talking to other groups such as Lake<br />

Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Care Group and the<br />

Burnett Mary Regional Group about<br />

m<strong>at</strong>ching the funds th<strong>at</strong> we raise through<br />

the local community.<br />

By doing this, we will have enough money<br />

to do the job properly.<br />

Considerable site prepar<strong>at</strong>ion is required<br />

– removal/control of broad and smallleaved<br />

privet, camphor laurel, morning<br />

glory, turkey rhubarb, mistweed,<br />

blackberry, and many other environmental<br />

nasties no doubt.<br />

There is also the issue of the deep culvert/<br />

crevasse where the creek enters the Obi.<br />

Thanks to Dick Newman we are now<br />

waiting for a Council engineer to meet us<br />

on site to work out the best solution.<br />

We are applying for a Green Corps team<br />

for this project. If successful, they will<br />

begin in early May and will assist with site<br />

works and community liaison, and help<br />

coordin<strong>at</strong>e the community treeplant.<br />

So, as you can see it is not just raising the<br />

money and planting the trees. Hopefully<br />

all weed and site prep will be done before<br />

winter, but because this site is in the frost<br />

zone we will wait until spring for planting.<br />

Not only will the ‘IGA Connection’<br />

provide a lasting thank-you to Rob and<br />

Samantha and the IGA but it will cre<strong>at</strong>e an<br />

essential linkage to help preserve the<br />

viability of this isol<strong>at</strong>ed historic remnant<br />

in the Maleny Showgrounds, improve the<br />

quality of the w<strong>at</strong>er entering Obi Obi<br />

Creek, and restore the banks of the creek<br />

from a weed-infested rubbish heap to a<br />

beautiful rainforest th<strong>at</strong> will enhance the<br />

Maleny Showgrounds.


IN THIS ISSUE<br />

IGA Connection Upd<strong>at</strong>e ................................1<br />

From our President, New Members ..................2<br />

Support for <strong>Landcare</strong> ..................................3<br />

Expressions of Interest for FUNDING ................3<br />

AGM Award Winners ....................................3<br />

St<strong>at</strong>e of the Regional Groups .........................4<br />

Groundw<strong>at</strong>er Monitoring Project ....................4<br />

2006 Maleny Wood Expo ...............................5<br />

2006 Wootha Prize .....................................5<br />

Sustainable Land-use Project.........................5<br />

REVEG IN PROGRESS: Changing Balances ...........6<br />

TRAINEE’S TALE: Green Corps ........................6<br />

CONTRACTING SERVICES: Bush Regener<strong>at</strong>ion ......7<br />

BUTTERFLIES OF THE RANGE: Caper white ........8<br />

WEEDS: Moth vine ......................................8<br />

Regional Arrangements Coordin<strong>at</strong>ion ...............9<br />

New Lake Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Officer ...............9<br />

Lantana control .........................................9<br />

ORNAMENTAL GARDEN: Thinning and pruning ... 10<br />

THE CORNER DESK: ‘Doing’ <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> ............ 10<br />

CJP NEWS: Wrap up and Participant’s stories ... 11<br />

NURSERY NOTES: Seed collecting time ........... 12<br />

PLANT PROFILE: Silky myrtle ....................... 12<br />

Rainforest recovery and Coxen’s Fig-parrot ..... 13<br />

OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS ....................... 13<br />

Volunteer of the Year AWARD ....................... 14<br />

Thank you to ..., Letters ............................ 14<br />

TURKEY TANGENTIAL: Spreading the Seed .. 16, 15<br />

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS<br />

(Compiled by Barry Liddell)<br />

Robyn Allsopp<br />

Marcus Ringuet<br />

Gordon Sutherland &<br />

Nicola Baker<br />

Harris Tagg<br />

Alan & Susan Marchant<br />

Norman & Robin Dobson<br />

B Harber<br />

Paul Moore<br />

Evan Jones<br />

John Dixon<br />

Keith Drake<br />

P<strong>at</strong>ricia Weggert<br />

Graeme Jennings<br />

Douglas Robertson<br />

M Gudmundsson<br />

Frank & Sally Elmer<br />

Cliff Hanna<br />

R Dent & J Morris<br />

Gary & Vivienne Bochow<br />

Russell Kleidon<br />

Maureen Cooper<br />

WELCOME BACK<br />

John Crocker<br />

Jodi Robson<br />

Brian & Margaret James<br />

Don & Jacquie McDonald<br />

Greg Harrison<br />

Taman Sari<br />

Olwyn & James Trstenjak<br />

M Lakic<br />

Anne Arnett<br />

Tony & Donna Smith<br />

Rowena McIntosh<br />

M<strong>at</strong>t Sheild<br />

Campbell Foster<br />

Sue Lewty & Helen Burnett<br />

Ralph Freestun<br />

Leanne Sommer &<br />

John Robertson<br />

Gary Scott<br />

Hanicek Schoenberger<br />

Rodney Castle<br />

John Smith<br />

Alan & Claire Wynn<br />

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LANDCARE SUPPORT<br />

2<br />

FROM OUR PRESIDENT<br />

by Lin Fairlie<br />

Another successful treeplant was completed as part of the <strong>Barung</strong><br />

AGM in October and our thanks go to all the members and friends<br />

who took part in the event. About 400 trees were planted.<br />

Our thanks go to the retiring Management Committee members<br />

Bridget Sparkes, John Poulson and Trish Brunton and we look<br />

forward to their further contributions to <strong>Barung</strong> in other ways.<br />

Special thanks go to Trish for her four years as treasurer and the<br />

way she so ably stepped into the admin position during Angie’s<br />

absence.<br />

Welcome to new committee members P<strong>at</strong> Fuller and Michael<br />

Howard (as Treasurer). Together they bring much experience and<br />

enthusiasm and we look forward to working with them. There is<br />

still an unfilled position on the Management Committee and we<br />

appeal to any member who is even slightly interested to speak<br />

with any Management Committee member or with Mim or Darryl<br />

in the <strong>Barung</strong> offices for more inform<strong>at</strong>ion.<br />

The year ahead will be very busy with Expo on 29th & 30th April<br />

and 1st May 2006. Please write these d<strong>at</strong>es in your diary now as<br />

the Expo’s success requires extra help in the weeks before as well<br />

as over the weekend. As you will see elsewhere in this newsletter<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> is hoping to host a Fungi workshop in February so th<strong>at</strong><br />

members can learn about and become part of the fascin<strong>at</strong>ing world<br />

of macrofungi which occurs in the lower sections of your forest.<br />

In the New Year there will be community consult<strong>at</strong>ion carried out<br />

by consultants about the future of the Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan<br />

Park area <strong>at</strong> the entrance to Caloundra. The leases on this area<br />

owned by the Department of N<strong>at</strong>ural Resources and Mines run<br />

out in 2009. I am on the Consult<strong>at</strong>ive Committee representing the<br />

environment and residents of Caloundra City Council so if you<br />

would like further inform<strong>at</strong>ion about this very important site which<br />

fronts Pumicestone Passage, the intern<strong>at</strong>ional RAMSAR site and<br />

the Fish Habit<strong>at</strong> Reserve of Pumicestone Passage, please contact<br />

me. Caloundra City Council is well aware of the special values of<br />

this last, large, open space area on the Passage but the final<br />

decisions are not up to them, even though they are an important<br />

player in the final outcome.<br />

We’ve started talking again to Caloundra City Council about<br />

<strong>Barung</strong>’s move to Armstrong’s farm. An enormous amount of<br />

expertise and planning must go into this str<strong>at</strong>egic move and it<br />

would be so helpful if there are members who feel they have the<br />

skills to assist us. W<strong>at</strong>er quality for the nursery, as we hope to use<br />

tre<strong>at</strong>ed effluent if we go to this site, will be one area requiring<br />

extensive investig<strong>at</strong>ion. So if you have expertise in this area in<br />

particular we would love to hear from you.<br />

The we<strong>at</strong>her has been good for planting so I hope you have plans<br />

to purchase more trees to take advantage of the summer rains.<br />

Remember <strong>Barung</strong> closes down over the Christmas New Year<br />

period <strong>at</strong> lunchtime on Friday 23rd December and will reopen on<br />

Wednesday 4th January 2006. A n<strong>at</strong>ive tree can make a wonderful<br />

Christmas tree and can then be put into the ground. Also trees as<br />

gifts or gift vouchers can also be purchased from <strong>Barung</strong>.<br />

Seasons greetings and best wishes for a safe and happy 2006.<br />

Opening Hours<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> Nursery and Offices<br />

Monday to Friday Nursery & Offices 8.30 am – 4.00 pm<br />

S<strong>at</strong>urday Nursery only 9.00 am – 12.00 pm


SUPPORT FOR LANDCARE<br />

Caloundra City Council backs <strong>Barung</strong><br />

Caloundra City Council has again demonstr<strong>at</strong>ed its appreci<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

of the work <strong>Barung</strong> undertakes in the Sunshine Coast hinterland<br />

by supporting the Coordin<strong>at</strong>or and Reveg/Habit<strong>at</strong> Officer positions<br />

to the tune of $75 000 during FY 2005-06.<br />

As Cr Newman said, ‘I believe community and Council can both<br />

get better environmental results by putting some funds into <strong>Barung</strong>.<br />

We will all be monitoring the results and, if successful, looking<br />

towards provision of recurrent funding for local landcare.’<br />

This vote of confidence in landcare’s ability makes both of these<br />

positions possible. Without this local government support, <strong>Barung</strong><br />

could not afford either of these positions.<br />

The Coordin<strong>at</strong>or’s role focuses heavily on <strong>at</strong>tracting funds for<br />

n<strong>at</strong>ural resource management to the region, and ensuring the<br />

efficient and effective use of these funds to achieve maximum<br />

outcomes. This entails considerable time writing funding<br />

applic<strong>at</strong>ions for all levels of government as well as smaller funding<br />

bodies, and ensures th<strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> has the staffing capacity to realise<br />

our on-ground ambitions, both on <strong>Barung</strong> sites and on priv<strong>at</strong>e<br />

lands. Mim Coulstock fills the Coordin<strong>at</strong>or’s se<strong>at</strong>.<br />

The Reveg and Habit<strong>at</strong> Officer position is invaluable to <strong>Barung</strong>,<br />

providing non-project based expertise to coordin<strong>at</strong>e our broad<br />

range of on-ground projects. This position is currently filled by<br />

Greg Smyrell, and allows him to use his significant skills to refine<br />

<strong>Barung</strong>’s understanding of local ecological systems, undertake<br />

flora and weed surveys, assist CCC with management of their<br />

local environment reserves, increase members’ n<strong>at</strong>ive flora skills,<br />

and oversee our own reveget<strong>at</strong>ion and bush regener<strong>at</strong>ion projects<br />

among other jobs.<br />

Thank you to Caloundra City Council for supporting this funding,<br />

and especially to our local Councillor, Dick Newman, for his<br />

recognition of <strong>Barung</strong>’s role in our community.<br />

MDCU opens new doors for <strong>Barung</strong><br />

Maleny and District Credit Union members’ recent approval of a<br />

grant for <strong>Barung</strong> to purchase a laptop and software for<br />

Geographical Inform<strong>at</strong>ion Systems (GIS) mapping is a real bonus<br />

for the local environment. This equipment will enable us to<br />

accur<strong>at</strong>ely record all sorts of inform<strong>at</strong>ion about our n<strong>at</strong>ural<br />

resources – loc<strong>at</strong>ions of rare and thre<strong>at</strong>ened flora, significant<br />

remnant veget<strong>at</strong>ion, weed infest<strong>at</strong>ions, landslips, and project sites.<br />

The equipment will be available for use by other groups including<br />

the Bellthorpe Progress Associ<strong>at</strong>ion, Lake Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Care<br />

Group, and Mooloolah W<strong>at</strong>erw<strong>at</strong>ch and <strong>Landcare</strong>.<br />

This mapping inform<strong>at</strong>ion will feed into regional body and local<br />

government d<strong>at</strong>abases for better management of n<strong>at</strong>ural resources<br />

in the future. Caloundra City Council staff have agreed to assist<br />

with GIS training for <strong>Barung</strong> and other staff. It is hoped <strong>Barung</strong><br />

will become a ‘hub’ for NRM mapping in the local region.<br />

RADF flags for Expo<br />

Through Caloundra City Council’s Regional Arts Development<br />

Funding, <strong>Barung</strong> recently received a small grant to run flag-making<br />

workshops early in 2006. Local artist, Penny Smith, will be<br />

coordin<strong>at</strong>ing several workshops with local school children and<br />

one with Maleny Arts & Crafts and <strong>Barung</strong> members.<br />

Through these workshops, participants will cre<strong>at</strong>e large fabric flags<br />

with environmental themes for use during the Maleny Wood Expo,<br />

both on the Expo site and in Maple Street. The flags will also be<br />

available for use during other community events post-Expo.<br />

3<br />

Expressions of Interest<br />

for FUNDING ASSISTANCE<br />

by Mim Coulstock, <strong>Barung</strong> Coordin<strong>at</strong>or<br />

Since including an Expressions of Interest form in the August-<br />

September <strong>Barung</strong> Newsletter, we have been inund<strong>at</strong>ed with<br />

responses from <strong>Barung</strong> members who would appreci<strong>at</strong>e funding<br />

assistance to undertake on-ground projects on their properties –<br />

but there’s still room for a few more.<br />

All three regional bodies have different processes for devolving<br />

funds, but with a d<strong>at</strong>abase of interested landholders and potential<br />

projects I can respond quickly when opportunity knocks.<br />

Mooloolah or Maroochy River c<strong>at</strong>chments: We some funding<br />

through N<strong>at</strong>ural Resource Management South East Queensland<br />

(NRMSEQ) for landslip identific<strong>at</strong>ion and planning, so if your<br />

property is in the headw<strong>at</strong>ers of the Mooloolah or Maroochy Rivers<br />

or their tributaries and you have landslips, please put in an EOI.<br />

Upper Stanley River c<strong>at</strong>chment: I hope to be working on a habit<strong>at</strong><br />

restor<strong>at</strong>ion applic<strong>at</strong>ion with South East Queensland Western<br />

C<strong>at</strong>chments Group (SEQWCG) in the near future, so if your<br />

property lies within the Upper Stanley River c<strong>at</strong>chment, make<br />

sure you submit an EoI.<br />

Mary River c<strong>at</strong>chment: We are finalising a large devolved grant<br />

applic<strong>at</strong>ion to the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG), which<br />

includes most of the Mary River c<strong>at</strong>chment members’ projects.<br />

There are other funding opportunities outside the regional body<br />

process and we are keeping an eye on these too. Help me to help<br />

you – let me know wh<strong>at</strong> you want to do to address issues on your<br />

property – reveget<strong>at</strong>ing creekbanks, bush regener<strong>at</strong>ion or remnant<br />

protection for restoring fauna habit<strong>at</strong>, arresting landslips,<br />

addressing serious weed thre<strong>at</strong>s, or anything else th<strong>at</strong> is impacting<br />

on our management of n<strong>at</strong>ural resources in the region.<br />

Drop into either the <strong>Barung</strong> or Expo office to pick up an EoI form<br />

or email a request to info@malenywoodexpo.com<br />

<strong>Barung</strong>’S 2004-2005<br />

AGM AWARD WINNERS<br />

The 2005 Phil Jacobs Farm Forestry Award was presented to<br />

Phil Wilson and Christopher Deane of Eco Hardwoods. Both Phil<br />

and Christopher have been involved in the farm forestry industry<br />

for many years and have contributed to community-driven farm<br />

forestry groups for well over 10 years. As a team – Eco Hardwoods<br />

– they are formidable. Eco Hardwoods access timber from farm<br />

forestry plant<strong>at</strong>ions and salvage timber from development sites,<br />

priv<strong>at</strong>e landholders and road clearing and turn this timber into<br />

wood products for the building and furniture trades. Well done –<br />

you have been instrumental in bringing the sustainable timber<br />

industry into the public arena.<br />

The 2005 Land Restor<strong>at</strong>ion Award went to the Bellthorpe<br />

Progress Associ<strong>at</strong>ion for their tremendous community effort in<br />

restoring n<strong>at</strong>ive veget<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>at</strong> Bellthorpe reserve. The group has<br />

held monthly working bees for the past few years, followed by<br />

luscious morning teas and talks in the Bellthorpe Hall. They are<br />

now taking the knowledge they’ve gained back onto their own<br />

properties where they are undertaking similar habit<strong>at</strong> restor<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

programs. Our h<strong>at</strong>s go off to you all – it is a pleasure <strong>at</strong>tending<br />

your working bees and you are a shining example of how much a<br />

small community can achieve ‘on the ground’.


THE STATE OF THE REGION<br />

Properties in the <strong>Barung</strong> area fall within one of three regions th<strong>at</strong> meet in the headw<strong>at</strong>ers of the Blackall Range: N<strong>at</strong>ural Resource Management South<br />

East Queensland (NRMSEQ), South East Queensland Western C<strong>at</strong>chments Group (SEQWCG) and the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG). These<br />

regional bodies direct all n<strong>at</strong>ural resource management funding such as N<strong>at</strong>ional Action Plan for Salinity and W<strong>at</strong>er Quality (NAPSWQ), N<strong>at</strong>ural<br />

Heritage Trust 2 (NHT) and N<strong>at</strong>ional <strong>Landcare</strong> Program (NLP). It is important to know in which region your property lies.<br />

Burnett Mary Regional Group<br />

by Clinton Muller<br />

<strong>Landcare</strong> Groups getting’ busy – Like most places, the Burnett<br />

Mary Region has enjoyed some gre<strong>at</strong> spring rainfall, a very<br />

welcome early Christmas present indeed. But unfortun<strong>at</strong>ely for<br />

the farmer, keen conserv<strong>at</strong>ionist or active gardener, the favourable<br />

we<strong>at</strong>her has also provided ideal growing conditions for those pesky<br />

weeds. Healthy weed popul<strong>at</strong>ions coupled with some outstanding<br />

on-ground demonstr<strong>at</strong>ion activities have kept <strong>Landcare</strong> groups<br />

across the district on their toes as we continue to roll out the<br />

Regional <strong>Landcare</strong> Partnership arrangements.<br />

The Regional <strong>Landcare</strong> Partnership continues to demonstr<strong>at</strong>e an<br />

ideal model for the engagement of the <strong>Landcare</strong> Groups in the<br />

region, particularly as we look forward to the last Regional<br />

<strong>Landcare</strong> Meeting for 2005 in Tiaro. These meetings provide an<br />

ideal opportunity for groups across the region to come together<br />

and share ideas and activities and identify cross linkages. Funding<br />

provided to groups this round is targeted towards on-ground works,<br />

following on from the very successful round involving the<br />

production of sustainability kits which saw BMRG contributing<br />

toward <strong>Barung</strong>’s very popular Blackall Range Landholders Guide.<br />

A number of groups have formed strong working rel<strong>at</strong>ionships<br />

with their local communities and industry and are trialling some<br />

really exciting practices on the ground. Projects include n<strong>at</strong>ive<br />

species for farm forestry, riparian restor<strong>at</strong>ion works, saline site<br />

reclam<strong>at</strong>ion, and weed management and organic fertiliser trials.<br />

New C<strong>at</strong>chment Officer – BMRG has recently signed off with<br />

Lake Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Care Group and AquaGen W<strong>at</strong>er and<br />

Renewable Energy to employ a C<strong>at</strong>chment Officer for the Lake<br />

Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment. In another article in this newsletter, Murray<br />

Dunstan, the new C<strong>at</strong>chment Officer, explains his new duties.<br />

Event & Professional Development Sponsorship – Any groups<br />

or individuals seeking BMRG sponsorship for events or<br />

professional development activities are invited to complete the<br />

applic<strong>at</strong>ion form posted on the BMRG website<br />

(www.burnettmarynrm.org.au). All applic<strong>at</strong>ions should be<br />

completed in conjunction with the guidelines on the site.<br />

Applic<strong>at</strong>ions are assessed on a quarterly basis, so please take this<br />

into consider<strong>at</strong>ion when submitting requests for up-coming events.<br />

N<strong>at</strong>ural Resource Management SEQ<br />

by Susie Chapman<br />

By the time this goes to print, NRMSEQ and SEQWCG will be<br />

wedded in regional bliss as SEQ C<strong>at</strong>chments Ltd as of December<br />

1st . Aah.<br />

A number of new regional projects have grown wings since we<br />

last spoke. Here is a taste…<br />

Reconnecting our fragmented landscape – We are receiving<br />

funding from NR&M to undertake a needs analysis of peri-urban<br />

residents in SEQ in rel<strong>at</strong>ion to n<strong>at</strong>ural resource management<br />

(NRM). This largely rel<strong>at</strong>es to the area beyond the urban footprint.<br />

Local hero Dr Peter Oliver will be joining colleagues Dr James<br />

Whelan and Dr John Mackenzie to conduct this social survey<br />

which will include designing and trialling an effective suite of<br />

incentives. Self-interest has been identified as one of the seven<br />

key regional forces acting against sustainability in our regional<br />

4<br />

NRM plan, and it is self-interest we need to understand if we are<br />

to seriously address the preserv<strong>at</strong>ion and improvement of our<br />

n<strong>at</strong>ural assets.<br />

Mass movement – Of land, not of people in this case. The earth is<br />

moving dram<strong>at</strong>ically along the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range<br />

escarpment where the sandstone meets the basalt. <strong>Barung</strong> is<br />

working with the Maroochy and Mooloolah c<strong>at</strong>chment groups,<br />

NR&M, councils and us to raise awareness and understanding,<br />

and develop a str<strong>at</strong>egic approach to preventing and rectifying the<br />

situ<strong>at</strong>ion. John Muir will keep you posted.<br />

Looking for the smoking gun – Two research studies are<br />

underway focussing on the impact of septic systems on the<br />

w<strong>at</strong>erways in the Pine Rivers and north Maroochy c<strong>at</strong>chments –<br />

looking for the elusive ‘smoking gun’. These complementary<br />

projects are an excellent collabor<strong>at</strong>ion between NR&M, Healthy<br />

W<strong>at</strong>erways, University of the Sunshine Coast, Pine Rivers and<br />

Maroochy councils and ourselves and will be the l<strong>at</strong>est task to<br />

calibr<strong>at</strong>e the sp<strong>at</strong>ial models of the Non-sewered Areas Audit of<br />

SEQ.<br />

Renewable energies – Projects addressing renewable energies<br />

will soon trial a number of approaches on the Sunshine Coast<br />

through SCEC, USC, Regional Futures Network and the Maroochy<br />

C<strong>at</strong>chment Centre. Projects will include the Qld Sustainable<br />

Schools Initi<strong>at</strong>ive (QESSI), Power to Change Trade Expo in<br />

March, and an Earth’s Choice renewable energies investment<br />

campaign.<br />

Citizen Sen<strong>at</strong>e II – On December 8th we will host the second<br />

Citizen Sen<strong>at</strong>e <strong>at</strong> Parliament House to review the year’s progress<br />

in regional NRM. Leading up to this there will a series of bus<br />

trips around the region for anyone interested to check out the<br />

projects first hand.<br />

Heaps more happening – check out www.nrmseq.com<br />

Groundw<strong>at</strong>er Monitoring<br />

The Groundw<strong>at</strong>er Monitoring Project is going well, with about<br />

20 sites now identified within the upper Obi Obi and Walkers<br />

Creek c<strong>at</strong>chments. (The project will be focusing on these areas<br />

before expanding to include the rest of Lake Baroon c<strong>at</strong>chment.<br />

A similar trial is being done in the Eudlo Creek c<strong>at</strong>chment on the<br />

coast.) An inform<strong>at</strong>ion manual and monitoring gear are currently<br />

being put together so monitoring should start soon.<br />

The Sunshine Coast Groundw<strong>at</strong>er Investig<strong>at</strong>ion Group (GIG) is<br />

coordin<strong>at</strong>ing this project, in conjunction with <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong><br />

and the Lake Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Group.<br />

The objective is to monitor groundw<strong>at</strong>er levels and quality in as<br />

many priv<strong>at</strong>e bores as possible. Landholders are being asked to<br />

either monitor w<strong>at</strong>er levels in their own bores or, altern<strong>at</strong>ively,<br />

make their bores available for monitoring. Access to the many<br />

springs in the area has also been requested, so th<strong>at</strong> these can be<br />

mapped.<br />

Response from landholders so far has been excellent, with many<br />

people keen to keep an eye on their bores. However because some<br />

bores are difficult to access more bore sites are needed.<br />

For more inform<strong>at</strong>ion please contact Andrew Todd on 5441 2938<br />

or 5446 7025 or the <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong> office on 5494 3151.


2006 MALENY WOOD EXPO<br />

by Mim Coulstock<br />

Plans are well underway for Expo 2006 – 29th & 30th April, 1st May 2006 <strong>at</strong> the<br />

Maleny Showgrounds! We have a new office – freshly painted and rearing to go.<br />

Funding applic<strong>at</strong>ions are hitting the mail, Juanita has redesigned our marketing<br />

str<strong>at</strong>egy, and He<strong>at</strong>her Spring is pounding the pavements in search of sponsors.<br />

Jane, our wonderful CJP assistant, has been persuaded to stick around and assist<br />

with Expo Admin during the peak period from now to May 2006, and the draft<br />

program is already on Penny Smith’s computer.<br />

The next thing on the list is to hear from <strong>Barung</strong> (or community) members who<br />

have the talents and time to volunteer as Area Coordin<strong>at</strong>ors. We need ACs to<br />

coordin<strong>at</strong>e the following:<br />

1. Raffle ticket sales before and during the Expo (February until end of Expo)<br />

2. the EcoTour Program (early January until the Expo)<br />

3. Expo Volunteers (March until after the Expo)<br />

4. Taste Maleny Produce Store<br />

5. Preview Party<br />

6. <strong>Landcare</strong> Paddock displays<br />

7. Maleny Country Café (<strong>Barung</strong> c<strong>at</strong>ering venue)<br />

8. <strong>Landcare</strong> Bar & BBQ (<strong>Barung</strong> c<strong>at</strong>ering venue) and<br />

9. Soapbox The<strong>at</strong>re.<br />

If you would be interested in helping out prior to Expo with any of these areas,<br />

please give me a ring <strong>at</strong> the Expo Office on 5499 9514 or email me <strong>at</strong><br />

info@malenywoodexpo.com<br />

If you would like to take on one of these jobs with a friend, you can both ring me!<br />

Or if you would like to find out more about wh<strong>at</strong> is involved or if you have other<br />

talents but are not sure where you can fit in – ring me!<br />

The Expo is a wild and wonderful event and lots of hands do lots of things th<strong>at</strong><br />

you would never imagine to make it happen, so there’s sure to be a special place<br />

for your particular skills. We’d love to have you on board.<br />

Sustainable Land-use Project<br />

Thank you Jackie<br />

Thank you to Jackie Montgomery, who worked on the Sustainable Solutions project<br />

from its beginning in mid-2004. Jackie’s contributions to the project have been<br />

widely applauded within <strong>Barung</strong>, particularly her approach to re-establishing<br />

rel<strong>at</strong>ionships with the local dairy farming community.<br />

Jackie played a major role in organising <strong>Landcare</strong> Week in 2004, and subsequently<br />

run a number of workshops th<strong>at</strong> significantly benefited local landholders –<br />

particularly the Fire and Biodiversity workshops. Jackie, your cheerful smile will<br />

be missed around <strong>Barung</strong>, and we wish you the best with your involvement in the<br />

Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initi<strong>at</strong>ive.<br />

And welcome Ed<br />

Ed Surman will be the new face of the Sustainable Land-use Project, which<br />

continues to be funded by the N<strong>at</strong>ional <strong>Landcare</strong> Program through the BMRG.<br />

The project’s focus early in 2006 will be on implementing two on-ground<br />

demonstr<strong>at</strong>ion sites th<strong>at</strong> contribute to sustainable farming. Two sites with severe<br />

bank slumping in lower Elaman Creek have been selected to demonstr<strong>at</strong>e the<br />

effect on such slump areas of stock exclusion and planting with appropri<strong>at</strong>e species.<br />

If funding becomes available, large woody debris will also be placed in-stream to<br />

help cre<strong>at</strong>e fish habit<strong>at</strong> and divert flow from the slumps.<br />

Many farms in the area suffer extensive bank slumpage due to loss of veget<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

on creekbanks, especially on outside bends of creeks. Although landowners are<br />

understandably reluctant to lose paddock area through fencing off creeks, slumpage<br />

over sufficient years will equ<strong>at</strong>e to land lost through fencing. Fencing and replanting<br />

these ‘<strong>at</strong> risk’ banks has many other spin-offs for both freshw<strong>at</strong>er and terrestrial<br />

biodiversity, and contributes to improved w<strong>at</strong>er quality in our w<strong>at</strong>erways.<br />

5<br />

2006 Wootha Prize<br />

Applic<strong>at</strong>ion forms are now available for wood<br />

artists to start thinking about entering a ‘Se<strong>at</strong> for<br />

One’ in the 2006 Wootha Prize.<br />

2006 will be the third year of The Wootha Prize,<br />

the fe<strong>at</strong>ure exhibition <strong>at</strong> the Maleny Wood Expo.<br />

In keeping with the Maleny Wood Expo’s<br />

objectives to achieve positive outcomes for our<br />

environmental future, all Wootha Prize entries<br />

must be cre<strong>at</strong>ed from sustainably harvested n<strong>at</strong>ive<br />

timbers, recycled timbers or weed timbers.<br />

The competition is open to wood artists n<strong>at</strong>ionally.<br />

The designer of the best ‘Se<strong>at</strong> for one’ will receive<br />

$1500, with $750 and $500 for the second and<br />

third place winners. All prize winners also receive<br />

quantities of sustainably harvested n<strong>at</strong>ive timber.<br />

Artists have until 17th February 2006 to submit<br />

their applic<strong>at</strong>ions to the Expo office. For more<br />

details:<br />

Website www.malenywoodexpo.com<br />

Phone 07 5429 6566<br />

Email admin@malenywoodexpo.com.<br />

All don<strong>at</strong>ions to <strong>Barung</strong> and the<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> Environmental Gift Fund<br />

are Tax Deductible!


The Changing Balances<br />

REVEG IN PROGRESS by Greg Smyrell<br />

A number of years ago a friend told me a parable about a peasant<br />

farmer in times gone by. I’ve forgotten most of this story but it<br />

started something like this.<br />

One day a beautiful wild stallion turned up <strong>at</strong> the farm and the old<br />

farmer and his son quickly yarded the animal. L<strong>at</strong>er th<strong>at</strong> day the<br />

farmer’s neighbour came over and looked <strong>at</strong> the horse and said to<br />

the farmer, ‘Wh<strong>at</strong> good luck you have gaining this magnificent<br />

beast!’<br />

‘Good luck, bad luck, who knows?’ replied the old farmer.<br />

The next day the farmers son, a healthy young man, decided to<br />

see if he could ride the new horse. The young man was thrown<br />

awkwardly and broke his leg. L<strong>at</strong>er th<strong>at</strong> day the farmer’s neighbour<br />

came over and said, ‘Wh<strong>at</strong> bad luck, now you have to do the<br />

harvest by yourself.’ The old farmer replied, ‘Bad luck, good luck,<br />

who knows?’<br />

A week l<strong>at</strong>er the king decided to wage war on one of his<br />

neighbours. The king’s army went through the regions taking all<br />

the fit and healthy young men to help fight his war. The farmer’s<br />

neighbour had his two sons taken. L<strong>at</strong>er th<strong>at</strong> day he visited the<br />

old farmer and saw his son still there with his broken leg and he<br />

said to the farmer, ‘Wh<strong>at</strong> good luck you have, not having your<br />

son risk his life <strong>at</strong> war.’<br />

‘Good luck, bad luck, who knows?’ said the old farmer.<br />

The story goes on and on, twist after twist, good luck, bad luck,<br />

bad luck, good luck – who knows?<br />

After nearly thirty years of bush regener<strong>at</strong>ion I’ve gained a strong<br />

dislike for foes such as camphor laurels and privets, but recently<br />

I’ve been told a story and made some observ<strong>at</strong>ions th<strong>at</strong> made me<br />

recall th<strong>at</strong> old ‘good luck, bad luck’ parable.<br />

On a seed walk <strong>at</strong> Ted McCosker’s <strong>at</strong> Mapleton, Ted remarked<br />

th<strong>at</strong> he believes most of our n<strong>at</strong>ive pigeons would have become<br />

extinct if it wasn’t for the camphor laurels. My immedi<strong>at</strong>e thought<br />

was, ‘Wh<strong>at</strong> rubbish!’, thinking of the dozens of n<strong>at</strong>ive laurels and<br />

many other fruiting plants our n<strong>at</strong>ive pigeons e<strong>at</strong>.<br />

However I was on the wrong tack! Ted went on to tell about how<br />

it was when he was younger. Getting to the butcher and affording<br />

me<strong>at</strong> wasn’t like it is today. Many families would go down to the<br />

scrub and shoot a dozen or so pigeons for dinner. The numbers of<br />

birds were dropping and it was getting harder to get a feed, when<br />

along came the camphor laurel trees and the pigeons started e<strong>at</strong>ing<br />

their berries. The me<strong>at</strong> of the birds became strongly tainted and<br />

wasn’t pal<strong>at</strong>able anymore, so people stopped shooting them and<br />

the birds were able to build up their numbers again.<br />

Recently we’ve been working on a number of regener<strong>at</strong>ion projects<br />

in thick privet areas. Whereas the small-leaved privet Ligustrum<br />

sinense hardly allows anything to regener<strong>at</strong>e under it, the largeleaved<br />

privet Ligustrum lucidum will allow a certain amount of<br />

indigenous plants to germin<strong>at</strong>e underne<strong>at</strong>h. Selectively poisoning<br />

large-leaved privet over a number of years and opening up the<br />

heavy canopy allows the n<strong>at</strong>urally occurring species underne<strong>at</strong>h<br />

to take off and for some to find their place in the canopy. If this is<br />

done too fast the we<strong>at</strong>her can get in – too much sun or frost may<br />

burn these tender, unhardened plants, so the privet works as a<br />

pioneer or nursery species.<br />

Very few of our n<strong>at</strong>urally occurring plants have the ability th<strong>at</strong><br />

privet has to reclaim pasture/open areas, particularly along our<br />

major w<strong>at</strong>erways which, through clearing, have become too cold<br />

for many local species to establish themselves. So without this<br />

6<br />

privet, would we be able to regener<strong>at</strong>e major areas as quickly and<br />

cost effectively as we can where privet now occurs?<br />

Lastly on this theme, on our most recent reveget<strong>at</strong>ion plantings<br />

we have had major damage from hares chewing off our plants.<br />

Most of these plants will recover but may be malformed and miss<br />

the gre<strong>at</strong> growth opportunities of this summer, so they may require<br />

an extra year or two of costly maintenance. So why the increase<br />

in hares? Simple: less pred<strong>at</strong>ors. Why less pred<strong>at</strong>ors? Major wild<br />

dog baitings. So good luck, bad luck – who knows.<br />

On the subject of hares, I was told many years ago to use blood<br />

and bone or urine because hares dislike the odour of these m<strong>at</strong>erials<br />

and leave the plants alone. I’ve had reasonable success with these<br />

methods, but was wondering if anyone else has methods for<br />

protecting their small plants from hares or other pests.<br />

Green Corps: Keeping<br />

youth in the environment<br />

A TRAINEE’S TALE by Jake Smith-Moloney<br />

Well, we have reached the tail end of the year and everyone seems<br />

to be going a bit silly from the he<strong>at</strong> and the looming chaos of<br />

Christmas. Who would have thought th<strong>at</strong> a time for relaxing and<br />

c<strong>at</strong>ching up with family and friends results in crazy Christmas<br />

shopping and spending hours in the kitchen preparing Christmas<br />

lunch? Wh<strong>at</strong> scares me the most is th<strong>at</strong> while we are occupied<br />

with festive activities, both garden and environmental weeds are<br />

growing like crazy, making the job all th<strong>at</strong> much bigger when we<br />

all head back to work. I am drifting off topic here, oops.<br />

Back to the topic: the current Green Corps team based out of the<br />

Maleny Neighbourhood Centre. These environmentally minded<br />

individuals have been spending most of their time removing<br />

lantana out <strong>at</strong> the Genesis site. I have been spending one day a<br />

fortnight assisting in on-ground reveget<strong>at</strong>ion and regener<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

works and helping with training and educ<strong>at</strong>ion. I have found this<br />

work very rewarding because I get to spend time with and teach<br />

people my age who are just as passion<strong>at</strong>e about local<br />

environmental issues as I am.<br />

Green Corps is a gre<strong>at</strong> way of introducing younger members of<br />

society to environmental industries, but the viable opportunities<br />

available to participants after Green Corps are limited. The job<br />

may be ethically rewarding and enjoyable, but if you can’t afford<br />

to feed yourself or keep a roof over your head then you will<br />

probably end up in serious financial trouble and mentally<br />

distraught.<br />

Without contracting work to supplement my income I found it<br />

extremely difficult to cover the costs of living. Many Green Corps<br />

team members gave up previous employment to get into this<br />

project; they have an amazing amount of enthusiasm and are keen<br />

workers and students. It would be a shame if there was no followon<br />

employment for these eco-passion<strong>at</strong>e, hard-working youth.<br />

Hope you all have a safe and merry holiday period – but remember<br />

weeds don’t go on holidays so keep on top of your reveg plot/<br />

garden. As always I am contactable (most of the time) <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong><br />

during the week. Emails on this or other rel<strong>at</strong>ed topics can be sent<br />

to Ze_Bacon@hotmail.com<br />

Found <strong>at</strong> AGM Treeplant<br />

Pair of garden gloves and a lady’s cloth h<strong>at</strong>


Bush Regener<strong>at</strong>ion:<br />

The str<strong>at</strong>egic approach to rebuilding<br />

remnant rainforest<br />

CONTRACTING SERVICES by Jolyon Froude<br />

Last month the Contracting team completed work on two local<br />

properties as part of a Rainforest Recovery Project facilit<strong>at</strong>ed by<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> with the aim of protecting and enhancing several key<br />

rainforest remnants in the Maleny area.<br />

The first property we worked on belongs to Maureen and Mitch<br />

O’Brien. This amazing 100 acre property ranges over a series of<br />

seven n<strong>at</strong>ural terraces cascading down the side of the Range in<br />

the upper Stanley River c<strong>at</strong>chment. Maureen and Mitch are<br />

extremely dedic<strong>at</strong>ed land owners, working tirelessly over the ten<br />

years they have owned the property to control large-leaf privet,<br />

lantana and a range of other weeds. They must have poisoned<br />

tens of thousands of privets, earning Maureen the nick-name of<br />

‘the Privet Lady’.<br />

The property has abundant remnant rainforest confined mostly to<br />

the gullies and steep slopes between the fl<strong>at</strong>ter n<strong>at</strong>ural terraces,<br />

and the decade of weed control has seen massive amounts of n<strong>at</strong>ive<br />

plant regener<strong>at</strong>ion spreading out from these areas. As well as<br />

poisoning privet, other techniques used to achieve this outcome<br />

have included progressive spraying of lantana and herbaceous<br />

weeds and str<strong>at</strong>egic c<strong>at</strong>tle grazing. The property is home to several<br />

rare and thre<strong>at</strong>ened species and is one of the most impressive<br />

large-scale rainforest regener<strong>at</strong>ion projects I have seen.<br />

The second site we have worked on is the Book Farm in the<br />

headw<strong>at</strong>ers of the Obi Obi Creek <strong>at</strong> Reesville. This is owned by<br />

Richard Dent and Jill Morris who are strongly committed to the<br />

preserv<strong>at</strong>ion and enhancement of the key rainforest remnant on<br />

the property. This is probably the best veget<strong>at</strong>ion remnant on the<br />

upper Obi, consisting of six acres of undisturbed subtropical<br />

rainforest along the creek, surrounded by regener<strong>at</strong>ing forest and<br />

plenty of privet, lantana and other weeds. The value of this small<br />

remnant is clear when viewing the surrounding area, which has<br />

been almost completely cleared for dairy farming.<br />

On both properties our contracting work was focused on the Bush<br />

Regener<strong>at</strong>ion approach: the str<strong>at</strong>egic control of weeds to facilit<strong>at</strong>e<br />

the n<strong>at</strong>ural regener<strong>at</strong>ion processes of the forest systems.<br />

This sounds simple enough … The key is being str<strong>at</strong>egic and<br />

efficient in undertaking the work. There are always more weeds<br />

than resources to remove them, so it is important to focus on areas<br />

and techniques th<strong>at</strong> will maximize the positive outcomes. Working<br />

out from more intact areas into more disturbed areas is one of the<br />

main str<strong>at</strong>egies. It is also important not to clear too much <strong>at</strong> once<br />

thereby increasing light levels too dram<strong>at</strong>ically and cre<strong>at</strong>ing perfect<br />

conditions for other weeds. (Continued next column.)<br />

BARUNG<br />

CONTRACTING<br />

SERVICES<br />

for landholders<br />

√ reveg, regen & farm forestry<br />

√ project management - planning,<br />

site prep, planting, maintenance<br />

√ weed identific<strong>at</strong>ion & control<br />

√ property planning & consultancy<br />

√ environmental landscaping<br />

ring Jolyon - 0429 943 156<br />

or <strong>Barung</strong> Office - 5494 3151<br />

7<br />

Piles of lantana and other weeds cleared from the edge of the<br />

Book Farm veget<strong>at</strong>ion remnant. (Photograph by Greg Smryell.)<br />

Plant identific<strong>at</strong>ion skills are vital ; being able to pick out a dozen<br />

or two weed species from well over 100 n<strong>at</strong>ives <strong>at</strong> a glance is the<br />

essence of the process!<br />

When we think about enhancing and extending remnant veget<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

we often (sometimes too often) focus on planting trees. However<br />

<strong>at</strong> the right site the bush regener<strong>at</strong>ion approach offers a range of<br />

advantages over tree planting. It is usually much more efficient in<br />

terms of time and money to remove the weeds and facilit<strong>at</strong>e n<strong>at</strong>ural<br />

regener<strong>at</strong>ion than it is to plant and establish tube stock. The<br />

regener<strong>at</strong>ion approach also ensures th<strong>at</strong> the right species are used<br />

(n<strong>at</strong>ure doesn’t make mistakes!) and th<strong>at</strong> inappropri<strong>at</strong>e genetic<br />

m<strong>at</strong>erial from elsewhere is not being introduced to the site through<br />

planted stock.<br />

Remnant rainforest p<strong>at</strong>ches are of immeasurable value. They<br />

provide immense insight into wh<strong>at</strong> the landscape was like before<br />

it was cleared – the n<strong>at</strong>ure of the plant communities and how they<br />

were distributed. Bush regener<strong>at</strong>ion is usually the best way to<br />

protect and enhance the integrity and long-term sustainability of<br />

remnant p<strong>at</strong>ches. If you are a local landowner interested in<br />

protecting and enhancing remnant veget<strong>at</strong>ion, <strong>Barung</strong> Contracting<br />

can give you advice and practical assistance with all aspects of<br />

the process.<br />

Lucky Draw Winners<br />

For buying a Blackall Range Landholders Guide:<br />

Congr<strong>at</strong>ul<strong>at</strong>ions to Phil and Judy Holden from the<br />

Montville Newsagency, the lucky winners of a $100<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> Gift Voucher (drawn <strong>at</strong> the <strong>Barung</strong> AGM 15th October).<br />

Just remember … You’re all lucky winners if you own<br />

a Blackall Range Landholders Guide!<br />

Christmas Closing D<strong>at</strong>es<br />

The <strong>Barung</strong> Nursery and Offices will close for the<br />

end-of-year break <strong>at</strong><br />

Lunchtime on Friday 23rd December<br />

Staff in nursery and the offices will throw the doors<br />

wide open again with New Year enthusiasm on<br />

Wednesday 4th January 2006<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> staff wish all members and vollies a<br />

delightful and safe Christmas and New Year period.


Caper white<br />

Belenois java teutonia<br />

BUTTERFLIES OF THE RANGE by Bob Miller<br />

One of the most common questions I am asked around this time<br />

of year is, ‘Wh<strong>at</strong> are those white butterflies th<strong>at</strong> are flying over in<br />

their thousands?’<br />

Well, the answer is, ‘The caper white butterfly, Belenois java<br />

teutonia.’<br />

They are actually one of our ‘migr<strong>at</strong>ory’ butterflies and can often<br />

be seen <strong>at</strong> this time of year literally in their thousands, all seemingly<br />

flying in the same direction. These migr<strong>at</strong>ions can actually last<br />

for a couple of weeks <strong>at</strong> a time.<br />

Clockwise from left:<br />

Caper white larva, adult<br />

from top, and adult from<br />

side. All photographs by<br />

Bob Miller.<br />

I have observed the white eggs (which l<strong>at</strong>er turn yellow or orange)<br />

being laid on the young foliage of the foodplant in the hundreds.<br />

The larvae th<strong>at</strong> emerge from these eggs are an olive-green to<br />

chocol<strong>at</strong>e-brown colour, with yellow spots and sparse white hairs.<br />

They feed in large groups and, if enough are present, will easily<br />

defoli<strong>at</strong>e the foodplant.<br />

When ready to pup<strong>at</strong>e they move to the underside of a leaf, if any<br />

are still present, or if not, to the trunk of the tree or a branch. Here<br />

they spin a small pad of silk onto which they <strong>at</strong>tach their abdomen<br />

and a silken girdle to support their thorax. They then split their<br />

larval skin, slipping it slowly down the body and eventually<br />

dropping it to the ground, exposing the naked pupae.<br />

The pupae can be white, pink or even almost black, with brown<br />

mottling. They have a raised projection on their back and a point<br />

on their front end. As mentioned earlier, they always hang upside<br />

down supported by their tail and a central silken girdle.<br />

The male adult, about 55 mm from wingtip to wingtip, is mainly<br />

white. The upperside has an outer edge of black with white spots.<br />

The underside is similar with the addition of darker markings<br />

following the vein lines. Spots on the hindwings, in a small area<br />

close to the body, and underne<strong>at</strong>h contain splashes of yellow.<br />

The females are about the same size as the males and are very<br />

variable in colour<strong>at</strong>ion. The upperside on some can look the same<br />

as the males’ and others will have the white areas replaced by an<br />

orange-pink colour with the black areas more extensive. The<br />

underside is also darker than the males’ and the white areas are<br />

replaced with yellow, even on the underside of the forewing.<br />

The main larval foodplant for the Maleny area is Capparis arborea<br />

(brush caper berry or n<strong>at</strong>ive caper). I will guarantee th<strong>at</strong> if one is<br />

planted it will not take long for the butterflies to find it. <strong>Barung</strong><br />

<strong>Landcare</strong> stocks this plant whenever availability permits.<br />

8<br />

Turn weedy vines into<br />

basket cases<br />

WEEDS, WEEDS, WEEDS by Lin Fairlie<br />

One thing the weed vines have in their favour is the showy flowers<br />

they produce <strong>at</strong> their own particular time of year (which, of course,<br />

is why they were brought into Australia in the first place).<br />

Why, you may ask, do I think showy flowers are a good thing<br />

when we spend so much of our time trying to remove weeds?<br />

Well, <strong>at</strong> least it helps draw our <strong>at</strong>tention to them – <strong>at</strong> other times<br />

of the year, we may barely notice them climbing through the trees.<br />

So wh<strong>at</strong> is giving itself away now?<br />

• C<strong>at</strong>’s claw creeper Macfadyena unguis-c<strong>at</strong>i has finished its<br />

distinctive yellow flush high in the tree tops and along fences<br />

• Morning glory Ipomoea indica continues its sneaky crawl in<br />

just so many places – there is even a derelict house in town<br />

where morning glory is trying to get in through the windows<br />

• The cream c<strong>at</strong>kin-like flowering heads of Madeira vine<br />

Anredera cordifolia have finished<br />

• So of the climbing weeds th<strong>at</strong> leaves moth vine Araujia<br />

sericifera – its pretty white and pink flowers are just starting<br />

to tell us where it is established.<br />

Many fence posts and tall trees are supporting the green, pink and<br />

white veil <strong>at</strong> the moment, so this is the time to get in there <strong>at</strong> its<br />

roots and pull out the vines. They are easily removed from the<br />

soil and can just be left to hang over the fence or in the branches<br />

of trees along the forest edge.<br />

Please try to remove as many as possible now before the chokolike<br />

fruit develop and release the thousands of wind-blown seeds.<br />

I remove as many small moth vine seedlings from my reveg p<strong>at</strong>ch<br />

as any other weed, apart from privet. Moth vines seedlings even<br />

outnumber Himalayan ash seedlings, of which I have many due<br />

to the wind-blown production of my neighbour’s specimens.<br />

Another thing in favour of a number of weedy vines – but not<br />

enough in favour to justify us leaving them to grow – is th<strong>at</strong> moth<br />

vine, morning glory and privet can be used to make ‘weed baskets’.<br />

Thin privet branches can be used for the handle, moth vine for the<br />

top rim of the basket and also, along with morning glory, for the<br />

body of the basket. The white sap dries up by the second day so<br />

pull your vines out the day before you want to use them.<br />

It is quite therapeutic to pull vines out knowing th<strong>at</strong> something<br />

can be made from them and th<strong>at</strong> it does not just all go to waste.<br />

No one has suggested a use for the large seed pods so let’s get as<br />

many vines out now as we can before the pods form.<br />

Happy basket making.<br />

The Blackall Range<br />

Landholders Guide<br />

The essential guide to living<br />

on the Blackall Range<br />

Available from <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong><br />

$15 (plus $3 if posted)<br />

Also available <strong>at</strong><br />

Rosetta Books, Maple Street Co-Op<br />

Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve


Working Cross-regionally<br />

in the Sunshine Coast<br />

Hinterland<br />

By John Muir<br />

Regional NRM Arrangements Coordin<strong>at</strong>or<br />

The first three months of this new regional NRM position (hosted<br />

by <strong>Barung</strong>) has been mostly c<strong>at</strong>ching up with the numerous<br />

stakeholders in the three regions th<strong>at</strong> meet <strong>at</strong> the Blackall Range<br />

(NRMSEQ, SEQWCG and BMRG), and facilit<strong>at</strong>ing projects for<br />

the delivery of their Regional NRM Investment Str<strong>at</strong>egies.<br />

The project area spans from Noosa south around the Blackall<br />

Ranges via the Sunshine Coast hinterland to Peachester, and the<br />

upper Brisbane Valley area around Kilcoy. The stakeholder groups<br />

involved range from <strong>Landcare</strong>, C<strong>at</strong>chment Care and Local<br />

Government to local environmental and industry groups, progress<br />

associ<strong>at</strong>ions and landholders. South-east Queensland, with its<br />

unique fauna and flora, good quality agricultural land and high<br />

demands on n<strong>at</strong>ural resources (w<strong>at</strong>er, land and veget<strong>at</strong>ion) has<br />

the fastest growing popul<strong>at</strong>ion in Australia, and this makes for<br />

potential conflict and compromises.<br />

Most of the groups I’ve met with are still in the inform<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

awareness and understanding phase. Some have progressed to<br />

the project development and implement<strong>at</strong>ion stages. How these<br />

groups focus themselves and where they fit into the wider str<strong>at</strong>egic<br />

regional planning processes still needs more understanding.<br />

There seems to be an opportunity for localised project-focused<br />

‘community clusters’ forming or working with existing groups eg<br />

the Narrows Road Group, Crystal W<strong>at</strong>ers, Booroobin,<br />

Landsborough, Bellthorpe, Peachester, Conondale and Reesville.<br />

There is also room to increase the capacity and role of some groups<br />

from solely on-ground project implement<strong>at</strong>ion to wider<br />

educ<strong>at</strong>ional awareness and capacity building. The role and function<br />

of different groups is constantly changing and evolving over time.<br />

Potential projects based on similar themes th<strong>at</strong> have been identified<br />

by most groups include<br />

• PMP – Property Management Planning<br />

• Farm Forestry<br />

• N<strong>at</strong>ive Forest Management<br />

• Weeds<br />

• Grazing Management<br />

• Peri-urban and Rural Residential issues, and<br />

• Remnant protection and Reveget<strong>at</strong>ion.<br />

Communic<strong>at</strong>ion and inform<strong>at</strong>ion flow between stakeholders in<br />

NRM, <strong>at</strong> all levels, and facilit<strong>at</strong>ion of a more str<strong>at</strong>egic approach<br />

is crucial for the future involvement of such regional initi<strong>at</strong>ives.<br />

Grass roots ownership and empowerment should underpin all<br />

community engagement processes.<br />

Lessons learnt from the previous Decade of <strong>Landcare</strong> suggest<br />

th<strong>at</strong> social and human capital can be built from the bottom up,<br />

with str<strong>at</strong>egic support from wider regional NRM planning<br />

processes. Now is also the time for implement<strong>at</strong>ion and on-ground<br />

targets and milestones to be met, to improve the n<strong>at</strong>ural capital<br />

assets.<br />

I am based <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong>’s ‘other office’ in Coral St (old<br />

Dairy Factory) and can be contacted on 0429 943 153 or 5499<br />

9518.<br />

9<br />

Implement<strong>at</strong>ion Plan<br />

for Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment<br />

by Murray Dunstan, Lake<br />

Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Officer<br />

Lake Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Care Group is<br />

hosting the new position of C<strong>at</strong>chment<br />

Officer for Lake Baroon c<strong>at</strong>chment, in<br />

conjunction with AquaGen W<strong>at</strong>er and<br />

Renewable Energy and BMRG (Burnett<br />

Mary Regional Group).<br />

As the new C<strong>at</strong>chment Officer, I will be<br />

aligning the NRM Plan Country to Coast,<br />

a healthy sustainable future with the Lake Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment<br />

Management Str<strong>at</strong>egy to develop an Implement<strong>at</strong>ion Plan. This<br />

document will specify str<strong>at</strong>egies for improving w<strong>at</strong>er quality in<br />

Lake Baroon. and provide a framework for protecting and<br />

enhancing riparian lands in the Lake Baroon c<strong>at</strong>chment. A draft<br />

document for public comment will be available in December.<br />

I will then begin sourcing funds and administering on-ground<br />

works for improving w<strong>at</strong>er quality in Lake Baroon c<strong>at</strong>chment,<br />

including fencing off riparian areas from stock, developing offstream<br />

w<strong>at</strong>ering facilities, installing stock crossings, removing<br />

weeds and enhancing riparian reveget<strong>at</strong>ion. I will also develop<br />

and present educ<strong>at</strong>ion programs and field days for the public and<br />

industry.<br />

I have consulted in and taught w<strong>at</strong>er-rel<strong>at</strong>ed environmental topics<br />

on the Sunshine Coast. I’m interested in projects th<strong>at</strong> maintain<br />

commercial activities and production while sustaining or<br />

increasing w<strong>at</strong>er quality, and I’m particularly interested in novel<br />

approaches to w<strong>at</strong>er quality improvement.<br />

My position will complement the services already offered by Lake<br />

Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Care Group. I can be contacted <strong>at</strong> the Lake<br />

Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Care Group office <strong>at</strong> 19 Coral Street Maleny<br />

on 5494 3775 or 0438 448 508 or murraydunstan@iinet.net.au<br />

Spl<strong>at</strong>ter th<strong>at</strong> lantana!<br />

by John Hunter, NSW N<strong>at</strong>ional Parks & Wildlife<br />

Glyphos<strong>at</strong>e is registered for spl<strong>at</strong>ter gun use on lantana <strong>at</strong> a<br />

concentr<strong>at</strong>ion of 9 parts w<strong>at</strong>er to 1 part glyphos<strong>at</strong>e. In our<br />

experience this method is extremely time efficient and allows us<br />

to tre<strong>at</strong> areas th<strong>at</strong> are totally impractical to tre<strong>at</strong> using 100:1<br />

overspray or Quickspray. The method is best for dense, lush lantana<br />

(full of w<strong>at</strong>er and growing). Advantages include:<br />

• It is not necessary to cart large amounts of fluid around.<br />

• There is no runoff onto the soil.<br />

• With care, desirable plants under the lantana can be avoided.<br />

Modified stock drenching guns (with the drench nozzle removed)<br />

work well as spl<strong>at</strong>ter guns. To get the maximum range, incline the<br />

gun <strong>at</strong> a 45 degree angle and squeeze out a continuous stream as<br />

you smoothly bring the gun to the horizontal position – this gives<br />

a line of 9:1 across 15 metres or more of thicket. Deliver two<br />

squirts onto the foliage of each bush, or one squirt every 1-2 metres.<br />

If you use the spl<strong>at</strong>ter gun method for lantana control in your<br />

area, please let me know how it goes on 02 6650 7111 or <strong>at</strong><br />

john.hunter@environment.nsw.gov.au


Thinning and Pruning<br />

THE ORNAMENTAL GARDEN by Joan Dillon<br />

Every garden, presumably even a modern minimalist garden, will<br />

need thinning, pruning, perhaps re-cre<strong>at</strong>ing, <strong>at</strong> some stage in its<br />

life. Good initial planning will reduce the scale of the task, but<br />

few plants obey their label guidelines, and some will eventually<br />

domin<strong>at</strong>e. Large botanic gardens also undergo some level of<br />

reconstruction as time passes. You are not alone!<br />

So, time has passed, and decisions have to be made about which<br />

plants to prune and which to remove altogether. Everyone makes<br />

mistakes, or more accur<strong>at</strong>ely, unforeseen errors, (see label<br />

guidelines above) but it’s still like losing treasured friends! It’s<br />

quite common practice to initially overplant to gain quick cover<br />

but an appropri<strong>at</strong>e altern<strong>at</strong>ive would be to plant sacrificial<br />

groundcovers to fill in the early spaces. Good candid<strong>at</strong>es are the<br />

various scaevolas, Brachyscome multifida (available in several<br />

colours), the cheerful bright yellow hibbertias (especially<br />

Hibbertia vestita), and Helichrysum ramosissima.<br />

Densely planted gardens which protect the soil, shade out weeds<br />

etc will need thinning <strong>at</strong> some stage. Pest and/or disease problems<br />

may also be a reason for thinning. These can develop in very<br />

humid conditions when there’s not much air circul<strong>at</strong>ion and foliage<br />

remains moist. Disease, however, is not normally an issue with<br />

local n<strong>at</strong>ive plants growing in their own environment as problems<br />

mostly occur with plants already under stress.<br />

Too much shade, or sun, poor drainage and sudden changes in<br />

soil moisture levels, and being well outside the n<strong>at</strong>ural clim<strong>at</strong>ic<br />

zone, are common causes of stress and sometimes de<strong>at</strong>h. I did try<br />

a couple of potentially beautiful arid zone emu bushes but a heavy<br />

clay soil and humid SEQ really wasn’t for them! The birds loved<br />

them during the one season they flowered but they were stressed,<br />

the local insects came in droves, and I finally pulled them out.<br />

Seasonal pest <strong>at</strong>tacks can often be ignored since the plants recover,<br />

but if a particular specimen demonstr<strong>at</strong>es a tendency towards insect<br />

infest<strong>at</strong>ion and therefore the need for regular control measures,<br />

remove it. Life is too busy to deliber<strong>at</strong>ely cre<strong>at</strong>e unnecessary work.<br />

Some leptospermums will be <strong>at</strong>tacked by scale and then <strong>at</strong>tract<br />

sooty mould if they become shaded out by adjacent shrubs. In<br />

order to maintain a healthy and therefore <strong>at</strong>tractive garden, either<br />

the leptospermum goes, or its neighbour.<br />

Another pest which can cause problems and result in selective<br />

plant removal is the web-forming c<strong>at</strong>erpillar which stitches<br />

together very small leaves leading to defoli<strong>at</strong>ion. Candid<strong>at</strong>es for<br />

<strong>at</strong>tack are certain leptospermum and baeckia cultivars. Enjoy them<br />

for a while and then remove them to cre<strong>at</strong>e space which will rapidly<br />

be filled by adjacent, larger leaved and less susceptible shrubs.<br />

If you want your garden to remain ne<strong>at</strong> and tidy (controlled?),<br />

then regular pruning will be the order of the day. This should be<br />

programmed in from Day One to maintain dense foliage and<br />

promote flowering. Many n<strong>at</strong>ives, especially the callistemons,<br />

respond to tip pruning but sprawlers such as midyim (Austromyrtus<br />

dulcis) can be hacked back quite severely. Once the root system<br />

has been established, many melaleucas, particularly Melaleuca<br />

thymifolia, will come back from a stump.<br />

Don’t forget th<strong>at</strong> our small-leaved syzygiums and Austromyrtus<br />

cultivars such as ‘Blushing Beauty’ can be hedged and even used<br />

for topiary, if you’re into th<strong>at</strong> sort of thing. Lemon myrtles can be<br />

pruned, and have to be when grown as an orchard crop tree. N<strong>at</strong>ive<br />

mulberry Pipturus argenteus can be pruned hard and will cre<strong>at</strong>e a<br />

dense protective cascade of foliage on the edge of your<br />

reveget<strong>at</strong>ion areas. Don’t be afraid to prune but a regular light<br />

haircut is likely to give the best results.<br />

10<br />

The ‘Doing’ <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong><br />

THE CORNER DESK by Darryl Ebenezer<br />

The tree’s branches sway<br />

The leaves ripple in the wind<br />

The trunk sits quite still (Anonymous)<br />

Having become an active and quite literal participant in the ‘tree<br />

change’ movement I have now begun to notice and learn about<br />

things within the n<strong>at</strong>ural and built environments th<strong>at</strong> I would have<br />

previously glossed over or just plain missed. I have spent the first<br />

two months of my new role as Oper<strong>at</strong>ions Manager within <strong>Barung</strong><br />

integr<strong>at</strong>ing a whole new way of thinking and doing into my<br />

previous experiences and practices.<br />

A lot of ‘doing’ happens within <strong>Barung</strong> and the wider community:<br />

• Potting many hundreds of tubes each week out the back of the<br />

Nursery and helping to keep the office under control is an<br />

integral aspect of <strong>Barung</strong>’s success and s<strong>at</strong>isfying for the people<br />

involved (Volunteers)<br />

• Supplying 9500 thousand n<strong>at</strong>ive tubes to be planted into the<br />

local environment does make a difference (<strong>Barung</strong> Nursery)<br />

• Working five days a week clearing weeds and planting n<strong>at</strong>ive<br />

veget<strong>at</strong>ion does change the landscape for the better (<strong>Barung</strong><br />

Contracting)<br />

• Providing advice and an opportunity for people to grasp a<br />

vision of wh<strong>at</strong> is possible in their backyard is enormously<br />

valuable (<strong>Barung</strong> Reveget<strong>at</strong>ion and Habit<strong>at</strong> Officer)<br />

• Particip<strong>at</strong>ing in the educ<strong>at</strong>ion and training of Green Corp and<br />

CJP participants contributes to the life experience and future<br />

of these individuals and the whole community<br />

• Planning and implementing an opportunity to display the many<br />

facets of wood and sustainable living will change people’s<br />

<strong>at</strong>titudes and the way the environment is viewed (<strong>Barung</strong><br />

Maleny Wood Expo).<br />

As you can see, plenty of activity occurs each day and week in the<br />

life of <strong>Barung</strong>.<br />

All healthy organis<strong>at</strong>ions need to ensure th<strong>at</strong> both their activities<br />

(such as I have mentioned above) and their maintenance functions<br />

are <strong>at</strong>tended to.<br />

Part of my new role is to <strong>at</strong>tend to these ‘maintenance’ functions.<br />

Areas such as healthy rel<strong>at</strong>ionships, good communic<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

processes, good governance, sound fiscal management, and a<br />

shared vision of where the organis<strong>at</strong>ion is heading.<br />

I have enjoyed planting one tree (many thousands more to go),<br />

visiting a creek for a meeting, and learning about seeds and weeds.<br />

A gre<strong>at</strong> place to work and make a visible difference. In the next<br />

newsletter some thoughts about good governance and a shared<br />

vision.<br />

BARUNG MEMBERSHIP RATES<br />

Individual / family membership $ 20 pa<br />

Business membership $ 55 pa<br />

Business sponsorship $275 pa<br />

Don<strong>at</strong>ions of $2 or more are tax deductible.<br />

When your BUSINESS supports <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong>, you will be<br />

acknowledged in the bimonthly <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong> News (750<br />

distribution) and <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> displays, and you are entitled to three<br />

free trees and discounts on plant purchases <strong>at</strong> the Nursery.<br />

Contact the office <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong> on 5494 3151 or email<br />

barungadmin@big.net.au for a Business Sponsor form.


CJP team wrap up<br />

CJP TEAM NEWS by Ed Surman<br />

The allotted time for our second wonderful Community Jobs Plan<br />

Project is rapidly drawing to an end.<br />

Community Jobs Plan or ‘CJP’ is an initi<strong>at</strong>ive of the Queensland<br />

Government Department of Training and Employment. Our<br />

projects are delivered through a co-oper<strong>at</strong>ive arrangement between<br />

the Hinterland Business Centre and <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong>. As lead<br />

agency the Hinterland Business Centre does all project administr<strong>at</strong>ion.<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> supplies the on-ground project sites and resources<br />

to enable these gre<strong>at</strong> teams to achieve massive amounts of work.<br />

As team leader it is wonderful to have introduced seven people to<br />

each other just 15 weeks ago and to w<strong>at</strong>ch them learn and work<br />

together and see genuine friendships develop. It is easy to supervise<br />

a team who are prepared to work together, who agree th<strong>at</strong> work is<br />

fun and meaningful, and th<strong>at</strong> wh<strong>at</strong> we do will make a difference.<br />

And wh<strong>at</strong> a difference we can make. Here are some hard cold<br />

st<strong>at</strong>s of wh<strong>at</strong> we have been up to over the last 13 weeks:<br />

• Removed 7 m3 of weeds from various sites, including 1.5 m3 from the Maleny Entrance Site and the Obi Boardwalk<br />

• Maintained a minimum of 26 210m2 of <strong>Barung</strong>’s project sites<br />

through hand weeding, brushcutting and spraying<br />

• Conducted structural pruning <strong>at</strong> the Obi Boardwalk, Pacific<br />

Plant<strong>at</strong>ions and Maleny Entrance sites<br />

• Cooked for 250 workshop participants during <strong>Landcare</strong> Week<br />

• Planted 4220 n<strong>at</strong>ive plants<br />

• Assisted Mooloolah W<strong>at</strong>erw<strong>at</strong>ch, Lake Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment<br />

Care Group, Bellthorpe Progress Associ<strong>at</strong>ion and the Genesis<br />

Found<strong>at</strong>ion with on-ground work<br />

• Provided training and assistance to the Genesis Green Corps<br />

• Collected 2 kg of seeds for the <strong>Barung</strong> Nursery, and assisted<br />

with propag<strong>at</strong>ing tube stock in the nursery<br />

• Weeded stock in the nursery and the nursery surrounds<br />

• Set up the <strong>Barung</strong> tent for <strong>Landcare</strong> Week and <strong>Barung</strong> AGM<br />

• Raised funds for the IGA Community Treeplant Project, and<br />

gave out brochures, posters and <strong>Landcare</strong> inform<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>at</strong> the<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> stand during the IGA celebr<strong>at</strong>ions.<br />

Congr<strong>at</strong>ul<strong>at</strong>ions and thank you to Phil Hands, Michelle Smith,<br />

Jason Walters, Michelle Cormac, Deborah Ward, Shanyn Todd<br />

and Tony Bright of the CJP reveg team for their hard work,<br />

willingness to learn and friendship. These people are very pleasant<br />

company, ready and skilled for work, and have an all-round<br />

understanding of conserv<strong>at</strong>ion and land management.<br />

If you require a willing worker, give me a call <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong><br />

– I can recommend the right person for you.<br />

NEWSFLASH: The whole team has been employed to undertake<br />

tree planting on a project <strong>at</strong> Sippy Downs. They start work on<br />

Wednesday 28th November. Congr<strong>at</strong>ul<strong>at</strong>ions team! And Jason<br />

Walters has begun a full time traineeship with Greening Australia<br />

– go, Jason!<br />

11<br />

Experiencing CJP<br />

by CJP participant Debbie Ward<br />

My understanding of ‘working together as a team’ and ‘team effort’<br />

has expanded during these past 15 weeks, due to the diversity of<br />

personalities th<strong>at</strong> make up our CJP team.<br />

Seven people came together with one idea in mind – Love of the<br />

Land. This love broke down barriers, forgave, overlooked, added<br />

to, and grew in friendship.<br />

Under the enthusiastic guidance of our team leader, my knowledge<br />

grew. With fun and laughter we planted, cleared, sprayed, weeded<br />

and brush-cut up and down the Obi Obi, down the Stanley River,<br />

around Echidna Creek and the Mooloolah River.<br />

These days are drawing to a close and this team member admits<br />

th<strong>at</strong> she’ll miss the comradeship as she works her own plot of<br />

soil. On the other hand, a new outlook has risen from the<br />

knowledge she has gained.<br />

The Itchy & Scr<strong>at</strong>chy Team<br />

by CJP participant Tony Bright<br />

The current CJP team’s focus is agricultural and environmental<br />

work-rel<strong>at</strong>ed training. This training covers aspects of the nursery<br />

industry through plant ID, seed collection and propag<strong>at</strong>ion. Field<br />

training includes weed control, reveg, regen and tree planting.<br />

Workplace Health & Safety is also an important aspect of training.<br />

This program not only provides the above training but also puts<br />

individuals into a team situ<strong>at</strong>ion th<strong>at</strong> has other benefits apart from<br />

specific training in industry-rel<strong>at</strong>ed topics. These include group<br />

dynamics, being able to work as a part of an efficient and<br />

productive team, respect for each other’s strengths and<br />

weaknesses, and reliance on the group r<strong>at</strong>her than the individuals<br />

for successful completion of projects. The knowledge and<br />

expertise th<strong>at</strong> eight people have on varying work-rel<strong>at</strong>ed topics<br />

cre<strong>at</strong>es a melting pot and inform<strong>at</strong>ion d<strong>at</strong>abase th<strong>at</strong> eventually<br />

benefits all participants and increases individual productivity.<br />

The team has been involved in many and varied ‘other activities’.<br />

During <strong>Landcare</strong> Week the team set up marquees and interactive<br />

inform<strong>at</strong>ion and cooked lunch for and generally hosted visitors.<br />

The team also contributed to the Endangered Species Day<br />

present<strong>at</strong>ions. CJP helped to prepare the site and set up for<br />

<strong>Barung</strong>’s AGM and treeplant <strong>at</strong> Maleny Showgrounds. CJP<br />

members <strong>at</strong>tended a stall <strong>at</strong> IGA’s 100th birthday where the IGA<br />

Connection Treeplant and the Blackall Range Landholders Guide<br />

were promoted. The team has also worked with the current Green<br />

Corps group <strong>at</strong> their Genesis site.<br />

During the term of this program the team has had the opportunity<br />

to visit many sites th<strong>at</strong> normally would not be accessible to the<br />

general public. Some of these forest and riparian worksites are<br />

stunningly beautiful and provide further incentive to continue the<br />

work to enhance and protect these unique and thre<strong>at</strong>ened systems.<br />

It also makes the discomfort of scrub itch mites, ticks and bites as<br />

well as other scary things a little easier to toler<strong>at</strong>e.<br />

In conclusion particip<strong>at</strong>ion in this valuable CJP project has had a<br />

positive benefit for all team members and given them the<br />

opportunity to contribute some practical and beneficial returns<br />

for both the local community and the environment. The team would<br />

like to thank <strong>Barung</strong>, The Hinterland Business Centre, Naomi<br />

Miller from DEET, and the Queensland St<strong>at</strong>e<br />

Government for their various contributions to<br />

the success of the program.


It’s seed collecting time<br />

NURSERY NOTES By Wayne Webb<br />

Many of our rainforest species are seeding prolifically this year,<br />

no doubt in anticip<strong>at</strong>ion of the good season. We have been busy<br />

collecting as time permits, as well as receiving don<strong>at</strong>ions from<br />

members.<br />

Thank you to all those who have brought in seed. I tend to take<br />

my predecessors’ view of not thanking particular donors by name<br />

in the newsletter for fear of offending those I forget. I feel, however<br />

th<strong>at</strong> a special ‘thank you’ must go to Trevor Carbury. Trevor has a<br />

grazing property <strong>at</strong> Elaman Creek with significant areas of remnant<br />

rainforest veget<strong>at</strong>ion from which he regularly brings in good<br />

quantities of seeds. Recently he has brought in bags of foambark<br />

(Jagera pseudorhus). Jagera is very <strong>at</strong>tractive tree which performs<br />

well on tougher sites, but unfortun<strong>at</strong>ely the seed capsules are<br />

covered in very irritant hairs, making seed collecting and cleaning<br />

a r<strong>at</strong>her unpleasant task.<br />

We have also received good quantities of seed from Diana<br />

O’Connor of Flaxton (Synoum glandulosum and Mischarytera<br />

lautereriana), and from Jill Morris and Richard Dent from the<br />

Book Farm <strong>at</strong> Reesville (Castanospora alphandii and Syzygium<br />

hodgkinsoniae).<br />

Greg’s fortnightly seed collecting walks have also been yielding<br />

gre<strong>at</strong>er amounts and variety of seed. Our propag<strong>at</strong>ion shed is now<br />

bulging <strong>at</strong> the seams, but while the seed is there we have to collect<br />

and sow it. Seed of many rainforest species cannot stored, and<br />

may not be available next year.<br />

Seed to look out for in the coming months include Guioa<br />

semiglauca and Mallotus philippensis (red kamala). Both are<br />

important species for reveget<strong>at</strong>ion, but have been in very short<br />

supply in the nursery. Guioa seed tends to be taken by birds as<br />

soon as the capsules open, but if bunches are picked and brought<br />

in when some (say 10%) of the capsules are open, they should<br />

continue to open over the next week or so. We can go over the<br />

bunches each day and process any seeds ready. With Mallotus<br />

seed you also need to wait until some of the capsules are opening<br />

before harvesting. Unfortun<strong>at</strong>ely many red kamala trees produce<br />

seeds without embryos. It is therefore worthwhile cutting a sample<br />

of seeds from a tree before collecting. The seeds are small (approx<br />

2 mm diameter), round and black. When cut through they should<br />

be filled with a white embryo. Good seeds will also sink if placed<br />

in w<strong>at</strong>er. Anybody wishing to collect seed can contact us <strong>at</strong> the<br />

nursery for more details.<br />

With all the seed about this year we have lots of exciting species<br />

coming available in the nursery. And with all the storms about,<br />

wh<strong>at</strong> better time to plant? How about giving your friends and<br />

family a <strong>Barung</strong> Gift Voucher this Christmas and they can help<br />

reinst<strong>at</strong>e some of our beautiful Blackall Range rainforest.<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> has obtained a small equipment grant from the Caloundra<br />

City Council to have two additional potting/seed-cleaning tables<br />

and a weeding bench manufactured. These will make life easier<br />

in the nursery because we will be able to leave seeds spread out<br />

awaiting processing and still have room for our vollies to pot up<br />

tubestock. A big thanks to the Council.<br />

Cali and I recently spent a day travelling around Maleny with<br />

Greg Smyrell and Jon Burgess, a soil scientist with DNR&M,<br />

looking <strong>at</strong> our local Blackall Range soils, their deriv<strong>at</strong>ion,<br />

characteristics and rel<strong>at</strong>ed veget<strong>at</strong>ion. Many of our local plants<br />

have a definite preference for particular soils and this needs to be<br />

taken into account when selecting species for both reveg plantings<br />

and gardens.<br />

12<br />

Decaspermum humile<br />

(syn. D. parvifolium, D. panicul<strong>at</strong>um)<br />

SILKY MYRTLE Family: Myrtaceae<br />

PLANT PROFILE by Wayne Webb<br />

Silky myrtle is a beautiful shrub which is very suitable for mixed<br />

screen plantings because it remains bushy to the ground. As a<br />

garden plant silky myrtle will grow as a shrub to around 4 m. In<br />

remanent veget<strong>at</strong>ion it is often seen as a 3-4 m shrub up to a small<br />

tree of 8 m. Alex Floyd, however, reports in his book Rainforest<br />

Trees th<strong>at</strong> it may grow to a tree of 25 m in height and a stem<br />

diameter of 45 cm. (I don’t think there is much risk of it growing<br />

this big in your back garden.)<br />

When in flower, silky myrtle is covered in fluffy white (or pale<br />

mauve) perfumed blossom. Each flower is approxim<strong>at</strong>ely 7 mm<br />

across. Flowering time is generally reported to be autumn, although<br />

the specimen <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> has just had a heavy flowering in October.<br />

This is probably due to clim<strong>at</strong>ic vari<strong>at</strong>ions. Flowers are followed<br />

by small black globular berries, 3-6 mm in diameter. Each berry<br />

contains around ten seeds, hence the name deca (ten) - sperma<br />

(seed). Fruit are edible and would <strong>at</strong>tract small fruit-e<strong>at</strong>ing birds<br />

to your garden, particularly if they have the protection of dense<br />

neighbouring veget<strong>at</strong>ion.<br />

Leaves are simple, opposite, ov<strong>at</strong>e-lanceol<strong>at</strong>e and 2-5cm long by<br />

1-2cm wide. They taper to a long fine tip. Young shoots are covered<br />

in fine silky hairs. Leaves of flowering branchlets are much smaller<br />

than leaves of non-flowering branchlets.<br />

Decaspermum humile occurs mainly in drier rainforests from near<br />

Gosford in NSW to northeastern Queensland, and northwards<br />

through South East Asia to India. It generally occurs on shallow<br />

stony soils of volcanic origin. Locally it occurs in the drier areas<br />

around the edge of the range (eg Reesville) and down off the<br />

range in places such as Elaman Creek.<br />

Silky myrtle is easily propag<strong>at</strong>ed by seed, which should be cleaned<br />

from the fruit before sowing. This is easily achieved by gently<br />

mashing up the berries in w<strong>at</strong>er and flo<strong>at</strong>ing off the flesh, leaving<br />

the seeds in the bottom of the container. The seeds are then sown<br />

over a propag<strong>at</strong>ion mix and lightly covered. Decasperma may<br />

also be propag<strong>at</strong>ed by tip cuttings.<br />

NURSERY SPECIALS –<br />

Silky myrtle will be on special in <strong>Barung</strong>’s nursery during<br />

December and January <strong>at</strong> $1.75 each in n<strong>at</strong>ive tubes.<br />

Also discounted are Bracteantha bracte<strong>at</strong>a, the yellow<br />

everlasting daisy, <strong>at</strong> $1.50 each, or 5 for $5 (while stocks<br />

last).


Rainforest Recovery and<br />

Coxen’s Fig-Parrot<br />

by Ian Gynther, Qld Parks & Wildlife Service<br />

Using a rel<strong>at</strong>ively small amount of funding provided to the<br />

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the<br />

Commonwealth’s NHT2 program, the Coxen’s Fig-Parrot<br />

Recovery Team and the South-east Queensland Rainforest<br />

Recovery Team have pooled their available resources to get ‘a<br />

bigger bang for their buck’ in undertaking some habit<strong>at</strong> restor<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

work on the Blackall Range near Maleny.<br />

The combined, short-term project is benefiting from the skills<br />

and experience of <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong> Assoc. in implementing the<br />

on-ground actions. From September to December this year the<br />

focus has been on six sites where rehabilit<strong>at</strong>ion or reveget<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

efforts are considered important for improving the integrity of<br />

the local rainforest remnants, enhancing the value of these<br />

remnants as movement corridors for wildlife or increasing the<br />

habit<strong>at</strong> potential for Coxen’s fig-parrots, an endangered bird<br />

species th<strong>at</strong> has been sighted in the vicinity of the target areas.<br />

Work underway <strong>at</strong> each of the sites consists of one or more of the<br />

following activities: weeding, fencing, reveget<strong>at</strong>ion and<br />

maintenance of previously established plantings.<br />

• C<strong>at</strong>’s claw creeper is the insidious thre<strong>at</strong> <strong>at</strong> the Caloundra City<br />

Council reserve adjacent to ‘High Tor’ and the current project<br />

is extending the Council’s eradic<strong>at</strong>ion program there.<br />

• Weed control and maintenance work is being conducted <strong>at</strong><br />

‘Cloverdale’ on Aplin Road and on Gap Road, Bellthorpe.<br />

• Lantana removal and fencing to exclude c<strong>at</strong>tle will encourage<br />

n<strong>at</strong>ural regener<strong>at</strong>ion of rainforest on the escarpment edge<br />

property ‘Windsong’ on the Maleny-Stanley River Road.<br />

• Similar activities, together with a small reveget<strong>at</strong>ion program,<br />

<strong>at</strong> the Book Farm in Reesville will enhance the quality of the<br />

existing rainforest remnant and expand its future area.<br />

• This is also the aim for Caloundra City Council land <strong>at</strong> Nadi<br />

Lane, North Maleny, where the habit<strong>at</strong> improvement work is<br />

just a first step in restoring the rainforest corridor th<strong>at</strong> once<br />

existed along this section of the Obi Obi.<br />

The EPA and <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong> are gr<strong>at</strong>eful to be receiving support<br />

and financial contributions from Caloundra City Council, the Lake<br />

Baroon C<strong>at</strong>chment Care Group, <strong>Barung</strong>’s Community Jobs Plan<br />

and the Genesis Green Corps teams, and various landholders.<br />

Together we are making a small but nevertheless important<br />

difference to the integrity of the Blackall Range’s rainforest<br />

ecosystems and the continued existence of Coxen’s fig-parrot.<br />

The Glossy Black Cock<strong>at</strong>oo<br />

Conservancy needs your help:<br />

• Protect she-oaks and hollow-bearing trees on your property<br />

• Get involved in organised searches<br />

• Report all sightings.<br />

Source: BAAM Pty Ltd<br />

If you have seen a glossy black-cock<strong>at</strong>oo or<br />

found evidence of their feeding (ie cone<br />

chewings) or would like to get involved in<br />

planning their future, contact Lisa Bailey <strong>at</strong><br />

IndigiScapes (Redland Shire Council) on<br />

(07) 3824 8611 or lisab@redland.qld.gov.au<br />

13<br />

Opportunities & Events<br />

Ag Chemicals Course<br />

If you use chemicals on your property, council lands, or other<br />

priv<strong>at</strong>e properties, you need to have ACDC certific<strong>at</strong>ion.<br />

An ACDC Certific<strong>at</strong>ion course is being organised for l<strong>at</strong>e January/<br />

early February 2006. It’s a one day plus two nights course. Cost<br />

will depend on number of participants, so the more we have, the<br />

cheaper it will be for all of us.<br />

Please contact Cali <strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> to register an expression of interest.<br />

Exact d<strong>at</strong>es will be announced as soon as we have the numbers.<br />

Chainsaw Courses<br />

Levels 1 (two days) and 2 (one day) in January 2006. D<strong>at</strong>es to be<br />

announced once we have the numbers to run them. No need to<br />

have your own chainsaw. Contact <strong>Barung</strong> to express your interest.<br />

TREEPLANTERS ALWAYS NEEDED<br />

If you:<br />

• just love planting trees,<br />

• are happy to work with a wide range of folk,<br />

• feel good getting out there and helping with <strong>Barung</strong>’s projects,<br />

• have time to spare,<br />

send us an email or give us a call and we will put your name on a<br />

‘treeplanters’ contact list’ of people who are keen to come out <strong>at</strong><br />

short notice and assist on some of our project sites. Email <strong>Barung</strong><br />

on barungadmin@big.net.au or phone 5494 3151 with your contact<br />

details and we’ll add you to the list. Email contacts are gre<strong>at</strong><br />

because we can just send out a group email which saves us a lot<br />

of time and money on phone calls.<br />

The fascin<strong>at</strong>ing world of Fungi<br />

by Lin Fairlie<br />

Have you seen the amazing macrofungi th<strong>at</strong> suddenly appear in<br />

rainforests and eucalypt forests after rain?<br />

Fungi play an essential role in recycling nutrients and in the health<br />

of forests but surprisingly little is known about Australian species.<br />

But we are in a prime position to add to the basic knowledge of<br />

fungi in this area.<br />

In early 2006 <strong>Barung</strong> hopes to organise a workshop with experts<br />

from the Queensland Herbarium so th<strong>at</strong> landowners can collect,<br />

correctly handle and identify fungi specimens, supplying the<br />

Herbarium with correctly prepared specimens if necessary for<br />

correct identific<strong>at</strong>ion.<br />

In the meantime, the FUNGIMAP project (based <strong>at</strong> the Melbourne<br />

Botanical Gardens) is mapping the extent of 100 rel<strong>at</strong>ively<br />

common species in Australia. The FUNGIMAP website is<br />

www.rbg.vic.gov.au/fungimap. FUNGIMAP members receive<br />

identific<strong>at</strong>ion notes and regular newsletters. Reasonably priced<br />

detailed books can also available.<br />

Fungi make fascin<strong>at</strong>ing photographic subjects. If you are aware<br />

th<strong>at</strong> interesting fungi can suddenly appear in your forest, take your<br />

camera with you whenever you go out. Photograph fungi from on<br />

top, the side and underne<strong>at</strong>h if possible. Record the d<strong>at</strong>e and the<br />

exact loc<strong>at</strong>ion (GPS if possible) and start your collection of<br />

photographs, if not specimens.<br />

With a little more knowledge, I am sure <strong>Barung</strong> members can<br />

become a source of scientific inform<strong>at</strong>ion for the ‘wonderful world<br />

of the fungi’.


Volunteer of the Year<br />

Award<br />

by Val Phillips<br />

Well, wh<strong>at</strong> a huge surprise to be awarded <strong>Barung</strong>’s Volunteer<br />

of the Year award.<br />

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be in line for<br />

such an honour.<br />

I think of <strong>Barung</strong> as an extended family of mine. Nothing is<br />

ever too much trouble if you need help. You are gre<strong>at</strong>ly<br />

appreci<strong>at</strong>ed here and shown it in so many ways, so when I<br />

buck in and help it gives me so much pleasure.<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> is very infectious when you work here – it is very<br />

hard to get <strong>Barung</strong> and the people out of your system. Just<br />

ask people who have been there and done th<strong>at</strong>.<br />

Thank You to …<br />

… Jill and Graham Collard (Fuschia’s parents) for the kind<br />

don<strong>at</strong>ion of microwave after the other one ran out of steam!<br />

… Max Smith, P<strong>at</strong>rick Cavanaugh, Jane Williamson, Alan<br />

Beard, Col & Val Phillips for the October - November <strong>Barung</strong><br />

News mailout<br />

… Everyone who planted trees <strong>at</strong> the <strong>Barung</strong> AGM<br />

… Ashton Berry for hosting, and He<strong>at</strong>her Spring for<br />

coordin<strong>at</strong>ing, the AGM lunch<br />

… Everyone who has don<strong>at</strong>ed to the IGA Connection Treeplant.<br />

Big Thanks to Joe of Montville Mist<br />

… who keep us from dehydr<strong>at</strong>ing in this warm we<strong>at</strong>her and even<br />

spoiling us with a w<strong>at</strong>er cooling system! Your ongoing support<br />

and generosity is Extremely Appreci<strong>at</strong>ed.<br />

from the <strong>Barung</strong> Nursery, CTP team, and all staff and volunteers<br />

Special Thanks to<br />

Admin Vollies<br />

The charming Dawn and Pam team on<br />

Mondays now keep the front office a<br />

lot more organised and also add their<br />

lovely smiles and professionalism to<br />

our happy office. Many thanks,<br />

Ladies!<br />

And the amazing Dianne, who has only been here a very short<br />

while, has been a brilliant assistant to Val and Barry. Not only has<br />

she helped re-organise our Library but is also recording some<br />

much needed procedures. Thanks so much for joining our team.<br />

And as always our office wouldn’t function without the ongoing<br />

and steadfast support of Barry and Val. Words are not enough!<br />

We hold you both in high regard around here. Thank you so much.<br />

from Fuschia in Admin<br />

More hands in the Library<br />

At long last I have had some help in putting the final touches to<br />

our library. Dianne Roper has been doing a marvellous job sorting<br />

duplic<strong>at</strong>ions, adding new books, and refiling books th<strong>at</strong> have been<br />

replaced in the wrong spot. After all the many, many hours of<br />

hard work, we hope the library will be put to good use.<br />

from Val Phillips<br />

14<br />

Letters<br />

Mayor appreci<strong>at</strong>es <strong>Barung</strong>’s Guide<br />

Dear K<strong>at</strong>rina,<br />

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the Blackall Range<br />

Landholders Guide, 2nd Edition. I found the Guide to be a very<br />

interesting read and I have requested th<strong>at</strong> copies be made available<br />

in Council libraries for the inform<strong>at</strong>ion of our residents.<br />

The current edition of Bush Hands (Greening Maroochy’s<br />

public<strong>at</strong>ion) has also included an article on the Guide and this<br />

can be viewed <strong>at</strong> www.maroochy.qld.gov.au (select Our<br />

Environment and then Bushhands Newsletter).<br />

Thank you again for letting me know of the Guide’s availability.<br />

Yours sincerely,<br />

Cr Joe N<strong>at</strong>oli, Mayor, Maroochy Shire Council<br />

Thank you Ed and the CJP Team<br />

Dear Ed Surman<br />

Wh<strong>at</strong> can I say?<br />

On behalf of the creek I say ‘thank you’.<br />

Yes, another 20 metres of mistflower, lantana etc has been<br />

removed, and the creek is beginning to laugh and gurgle in a<br />

healthy way.<br />

To Ed and his team: congr<strong>at</strong>ul<strong>at</strong>ions on a splendid job.<br />

Ed’s leadership, knowledge and guidance deserves a 10/10.<br />

Regards,<br />

Desley Schenberger<br />

Thank you Contracting Services<br />

Thank you to Jolyon for an excellent clearing of lantana etc.<br />

A little rain will see many new n<strong>at</strong>ives appearing on the slopes.<br />

Also thanks to Jake and Chris.<br />

See you soon.<br />

Regards,<br />

Desley & Seb, Anita Craig and Layla<br />

Christmas Gift Ideas<br />

<strong>at</strong> <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong><br />

GIFT VOUCHERS<br />

for plants from the Nursery or books from the Bookshop<br />

ADOPT-A RAINFOREST-TREE<br />

to have a n<strong>at</strong>ive rainforest tree planted near the Obi<br />

Obi Creek dedic<strong>at</strong>ed in your friend’s name<br />

Give a little joy while you support <strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong><br />

and the future of the Blackall Range and environs.<br />

DEADLINE – Wed 18<br />

Please renew your membership -<br />

your support is very important to <strong>Barung</strong>.<br />

th January<br />

for February–March 2006<br />

Newsletter contributions<br />

THANK YOU


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15<br />

Spreading the Seed ...<br />

… continued from page 16<br />

your seed around, but you can only disperse downhill or<br />

downstream or under your parent tree, and who wants to grow up<br />

in the shadow of the ‘oldies’!<br />

Th<strong>at</strong>’s where we can help. We can either decide it’s too much<br />

effort to ensure the survival of the many wonderful species th<strong>at</strong><br />

make up the ecosystems of our area and allow threads to disappear<br />

from the magnificent tapestry of life th<strong>at</strong> our local rainforests<br />

represent, or we can make up for our past indiscretions by<br />

spreading our local plants across the landscape again. I realise<br />

th<strong>at</strong> many of you who are reading this are busily planting and<br />

regener<strong>at</strong>ing local n<strong>at</strong>ives – but we need to do so much more.<br />

However, let’s get back to the example of the white apple<br />

Endiandra virens.<br />

Standard N<strong>at</strong>ural Regener<strong>at</strong>ion practice says no plants should be<br />

introduced by planting. According to standard N<strong>at</strong>ural<br />

Regener<strong>at</strong>ion theory, regener<strong>at</strong>ors should theoretically limit<br />

themselves to the preserv<strong>at</strong>ion of existing remnants through weed<br />

control and the stimul<strong>at</strong>ion of n<strong>at</strong>ural soil seed banks – thus<br />

ensuring survival of local genetics. In the case of plants with large<br />

seeds, however, we are now crucial in dispersing their seed across<br />

a landscape from which they have been cleared. Our ‘intervention’<br />

in this case will ensure their ability to be part of the future forests,<br />

and contribute to the potential for diversity in future ecosystems.<br />

Just in case you thought th<strong>at</strong> all large-seeded trees require our<br />

assistance to spread, let’s also look <strong>at</strong> black bean Castanospermum<br />

australe. You may think th<strong>at</strong> a r<strong>at</strong> is a r<strong>at</strong> is a r<strong>at</strong>, but our n<strong>at</strong>ive<br />

bush r<strong>at</strong> R<strong>at</strong>tus fuscipes plays a role in our n<strong>at</strong>ive ecosystems<br />

quite unlike th<strong>at</strong> of the introduced ship r<strong>at</strong> R<strong>at</strong>tus r<strong>at</strong>tus.<br />

Researchers from Griffith University (per. com. J. Kanowski) have<br />

found th<strong>at</strong> if R. fuscipes disappears from rainforest to be replaced<br />

by R. r<strong>at</strong>tus, the number of black bean seedlings actually increases.<br />

This is because R. fuscipes e<strong>at</strong>s black bean seed and R. r<strong>at</strong>tus is<br />

obviously yet to develop a taste for or, for th<strong>at</strong> m<strong>at</strong>ter, a stomach<br />

th<strong>at</strong> can cope with these toxic seeds.<br />

Next time you plant a rainforest tree, think not just about this one<br />

tree you are planting, but also about the ecosystem it will add to,<br />

about how the lineage of this plant has evolved over millions of<br />

years, and about the role you and this plant are playing in the<br />

survival of its own kind and the ecosystems it and we are part of<br />

– into the future.<br />

BUSINESS CONTRIBUTORS<br />

Mark Fentiman Dental Surgery Mulchmakers<br />

Lilyponds Holiday Park Maleny Motor Trimmers<br />

Taman Sari James & Suzanne Davidson


Spreading the Seed<br />

TURKEY TANGENTIAL by Spencer Shaw<br />

When it comes to trying to grasp the wonders of n<strong>at</strong>ure, humans<br />

are unfortun<strong>at</strong>e enough to be blessed with an <strong>at</strong>tention span not<br />

much gre<strong>at</strong>er than th<strong>at</strong> of a small intellectually challenged skink<br />

called Fred, whom other skinks call r<strong>at</strong>her rude names.<br />

We are limited to the view of wh<strong>at</strong> is directly in front of us. We<br />

are designed to live right here and right now, chasing the next<br />

mammoth or foraging for the next berry bush.<br />

However this is not the way ecosystems work. They are so much<br />

more than wh<strong>at</strong> is here and now – they are the present, past and<br />

future all rolled into one. The ecosystems th<strong>at</strong> we behold with our<br />

<strong>at</strong>tention-deficient eyes are a reflection of all th<strong>at</strong> was before them<br />

and also are crucial to wh<strong>at</strong> will come after. They are not just the<br />

plants, fungi and animals th<strong>at</strong> our eyes can see but also the<br />

processes by which those plants and animals reproduce themselves<br />

and thus shape the future.<br />

Ecosystems are magical things. Not in the ‘Harry Potter’ sense of<br />

the word but in the fact th<strong>at</strong> we still know, very, very, very, very,<br />

very, very ,very little about them.<br />

BARUNG VOLUNTARY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE<br />

President Lin Fairlie<br />

Vice President Bob Hall<br />

Secretary (vacant)<br />

Treasurer Michael Howard<br />

Committee Members Eric Anderson<br />

P<strong>at</strong> Fuller<br />

He<strong>at</strong>her Spring<br />

Clayton Stokoe<br />

John Wightman<br />

BARUNG’S MALENY WOOD EXPO STAFF<br />

Coordin<strong>at</strong>or Mim Coulstock<br />

Marketing Juanita Anderson<br />

Graphics Penny Smith<br />

If undeliverable please return to:<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> <strong>Landcare</strong><br />

17 Bicentenary Lane<br />

Maleny QLD 4552<br />

Print Post Approved<br />

PP 440524/00004<br />

ph 07 5494 3151<br />

fax 07 5494 3141<br />

barung@sun.big.net.au<br />

barungreveg@big.net.au<br />

barungadmin@big.net.au<br />

barungnursery@big.net.au<br />

barungcontract@big.net.au<br />

info@malenywoodexpo.com<br />

www.barunglandcare.com.au<br />

www.malenywoodexpo.com<br />

The <strong>Barung</strong> Family<br />

Wh<strong>at</strong>’s this all got to do with the spreading of seed, I hear you<br />

say? Well to prove my point I thought I’d quickly demonstr<strong>at</strong>e<br />

the ease with which the human brain can get off the track … or<br />

maybe th<strong>at</strong>’s just me.<br />

The forest remnants th<strong>at</strong> are fortun<strong>at</strong>e enough to have survived<br />

on the Blackall Range are a testament to the plants, fungi and<br />

animals th<strong>at</strong> comprise them and their ability to survive and<br />

reproduce. However the reproductive ability of some or even many<br />

of the species th<strong>at</strong> make up these ecosystems has been<br />

compromised. Will they all be part of the future ecosystems, yet<br />

to be?<br />

For many plants and animals, the answer may well be ‘no’.<br />

For example when large-seeded plants such as the white apple<br />

Endiandra virens disappear from an area, how can they move<br />

back into th<strong>at</strong> area? Their fruit can be up to 80 mm across with<br />

seeds approxim<strong>at</strong>ely 40 mm in diameter. How do you suppose a<br />

seed this size can move throughout the landscape? Even though<br />

many large-seeded plants exist in good numbers in the remnant<br />

forests of our area <strong>at</strong> present, their ability to disperse themselves<br />

throughout the landscape has been seriously compromised by<br />

habit<strong>at</strong> fragment<strong>at</strong>ion. W<strong>at</strong>er and gravity are gre<strong>at</strong> ways of moving<br />

… continued on page 15<br />

BARUNG STAFF<br />

Coordin<strong>at</strong>or Mim Coulstock<br />

Oper<strong>at</strong>ions Manager Darryl Ebenezer<br />

Nursery Manager Wayne Webb<br />

Assistant Nursery Manager Cali Salzmann<br />

Contracting Services Coordin<strong>at</strong>or Jolyon Froude<br />

Reveg & Habit<strong>at</strong> Officer Greg Smyrell<br />

Sustainable Land-use Officer Ed Surman<br />

Regional Arrangements Coordin<strong>at</strong>or John Muir<br />

Nursery Trainee Jake Smith-Moloney<br />

Administr<strong>at</strong>ion Officer Fuschia Collard<br />

The CODLine Editor Eve Witney<br />

<strong>Barung</strong> Newsletter Editor Eve Witney<br />

And our many Volunteers, Labour Team Partipants, and Members<br />

SURFACE<br />

MAIL<br />

Printed by GLASSHOUSE COUNTRY PRINTING, Turner St Beerwah - ph 5494 6011<br />

POSTAGE<br />

PAID<br />

AUSTRALIA

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